The top of the piece is an abstract setting of the sun cascading over water that is becoming increasingly rough. There are wisps of grey storm clouds co-mingling with the sun- perhaps to ultimately overpower it.

There is movement in this piece, yet mysteriously a light triangle coloured object is adrift within it. I love how this one turned out!

I used acrylic pouring and splattering techniques to illustrate surprise and joy. I tried a new technique by allowing base layers to dry, and adding light rose and pale pink blob-patterns that have a pearlescent glaze over top.

Ovation-Zoom 1- Gold, Pink, Deep Red abstract art

Gold highlights represent an excitement that contains prestige. Deep red splatter marks contrast throughout the piece signifying dramatic allure. The colours dance with each other deep into the background as this piece is examined closely, telling a story of triumph over drama.

Ovation-Zoom 2- Gold, Pink, Deep Red abstract art

At the crown of the golden triumph, six gold points lay atop a humble rose flourish. As a accent piece, Ovation is an attention-grabbing artistic statement.

Spring is nearly here: however in Southern Ontario, that does not always mean it will be warm outside or without snow.

The weather has been trite with gloomy over cast and threats of blizzards this week; so I decided to create a piece that would be an antithesis to current moods.

I call my latest piece: Jaune (yellow) Tide.

I integrated bright yellows, cerulean blues, aqua, and green hues in vibrant splashes on a gallery wrapped canvas. My favourite parts of this piece are the bright expanses of Yellow that bring warmth and happiness to the eye. The aqua is a nice offset against the blue as well.

As with many of my paintings, it can be hanged in any orientation; although it is difficult for me to decide where to sign each piece. I may adopt a symbol for signing my work in the future, so as to reduce the impact of a signature.

Inspiration comes in many forms; and for this piece I was inspired by love and the heart.

St Valentine’s Day was last week, and as usual we become inundated with images of cutesy cartoon hearts, and cherubs with messages telling us to show love to our friends and family by spending money.

Most of what we purchase are useless trinkets that do very little to further any true affect for our loved ones, but fills the empty space of an average cosmopolitan existence. I suppose that is a topic for another day.

My latest piece is a reflection of the heart, without the fake imagined sentiment. The heart beats. It supplies blood to organs, and for most of us we can only pray that it does not stop beating too soon.

I created these as complimentary pieces using gold leaf. Each measures to be about 36 x 24 inches- quite large for acrylic on canvas. My goal was to create a glimpse into an underwater wold with dark colours blended into light yellows and gold.

I have hanged the two pieces in landscape orientation with the piece on the right above the piece on the left in my home: my hope is to create a statement wall of art that will act as a “conversation starter” in our dining area. I love interior design: especially when it is for my own home.

On the left
I like the use of violet (purple) as I rarely use this colour. It’s a colour that evokes deep emotion, and I find my eyes drawn to it when I behold this piece.
It’s very lovely.
The introduction of yellow at the top of this piece was a risk: I don’t actually love that hue of yellow as I feel that it contrasts too much with the violet colours (perhaps that is why I don’t often use violet as I find it difficult to compose colour schemes when it is involved).

On the right
I painted this piece first (before the one on the left). The colours are softer- much more somber than the hard contrast of the companion piece. There is much more gold leaf in this piece, and the dominant colours are grey and sky blue. I think this one captures the “underwater” theme more concretely.

I am looking forward to creating more pieces like this, and I think I am developing a distinct style for acrylics on canvas.

I snapped this shot on a beautiful November afternoon in Hamilton.
I absolutely am an admirer of the architecture seen here at the tops of this row building. I would assume that this was one large building at some time in the past due to the consistent style of windows, and the continuous use of the same decorative brackets and cornices.

King Street in Hamilton

There are a few locations in Hamilton where this style is experiencing a revival- either that or they are borrowing from the existing style of older buildings (like the one you see above) to create uniformity and identity.

Heritage Building in Hamilton (note the cornices)

This uniformity is something that many other places use to give specific neighbourhoods a unique look and feel. One town that comes to mind is Unionville, north of Toronto. Here are some shots of Unionville buildings:

Thanks for stopping by.

-S

**Updates** Images of buildings in downtown Hamilton that illustrate the continuity of the architectural style described earlier. I love that you can find the classic heritage buildings with the style; as well as many new constructions.

A limpet is an aquatic snail with a shell that is broadly conical in shape. “Limpet” informally refers to any gastropod whose shell has no obvious coiling, like the coiling which can be seen in the shells of garden snails or winkles- Wikipedia via Google Search

I was dining with family recently when we sat down to a meal that featured Portuguese Limpets. They were prepared inside of their beautiful shells, and I was fortunate to save a few to clean and reuse.

The back of the shell is rough, but it is covered with a small amount of algae when fresh.

The opalescent colour on the inside of the shell reminded me of a flower, so I incorporated a few into an art piece I had been working on.

By gluing the shells to the canvas, I aimed to create a textured bouquet as the centerpiece of my artwork.

I love to create pieces that borrow from the style of Matisse. The thick and heavy lines used in his work always seem to be like a cartoonists impression of a real life scene.

Matisse would often capture relate-able snapshots into what I imagine might be a Sunday afternoon. The observer gets to imagine the mood within that setting; sometimes including a dog or cat sprawled out and enjoying an empty apartment while the owner stepped out to shop.

Thanks for stopping by.

-s

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I am a professional artist, textile designer, and blogger. I live in Canada with my husband and daughter. I have a passion for meeting people and creating new things. Share my adventures by following my blog at anieksteph.com powered by Wordpress. You can link to my Etsy shop to purchase my creations, or you can purchase from my site with PayPal Simple Payments. Enjoy!